Jan 5, 2018
Free TV Trials
Now you can try some of the streaming
deals for free, before or after you cut the cable cord. Sign up
for any or all of the following. Some require a credit card, but
do not bill unless you go past the trial period. Many begin to
automatically bill at end of trial, so it pays to be diligent
and watch the end date of your trial period.
Amazon Prime Video: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
Amazon Channels - As a Prime member, Amazon Channels has additional services with free trials from 7 to 30 days (includes HBO, Showtime, and Dove Family Films)
CuriosityStream: 7 days (Documentaries & Educational)
DIRECTV NOW: 7 days (Live TV)
Fubo TV: 7 days (Live TV with sports)
HBO NOW: 30 days (Movies & TV shows)
Hulu: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
NETFLIX: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
PlayStation Vue: 5 days (Live TV)
PureFlix: 30 days (Family-friendly Movies & TV shows)
Showtime Anytime: 30 day (Movies & TV shows)
Shudder: 7 days (Horror movies)
Sling TV: 7 days (Live TV)
Sundance Now: 7 days (Independent movies)
Amazon Prime Video: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
Amazon Channels - As a Prime member, Amazon Channels has additional services with free trials from 7 to 30 days (includes HBO, Showtime, and Dove Family Films)
CuriosityStream: 7 days (Documentaries & Educational)
DIRECTV NOW: 7 days (Live TV)
Fubo TV: 7 days (Live TV with sports)
HBO NOW: 30 days (Movies & TV shows)
Hulu: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
NETFLIX: 30 days (Movies and TV shows)
PlayStation Vue: 5 days (Live TV)
PureFlix: 30 days (Family-friendly Movies & TV shows)
Showtime Anytime: 30 day (Movies & TV shows)
Shudder: 7 days (Horror movies)
Sling TV: 7 days (Live TV)
Sundance Now: 7 days (Independent movies)
Browser Honey
Honey is sweet, especially when it can
save you money. Honey is a browser add-on that automatically
applies coupon codes at checkout, and now it also finds better
prices on Amazon immediately.
Honey brings the best final prices to the forefront after automatically comparing every top-rated seller in the Amazon marketplace.
It also lets you know if you can save money just by waiting a couple of days for delivery. Quick shipping is awesome, but so is having options, especially if those options save you money.
Shop on Amazon as usual. If Honey finds a better deal, a little tag will appear showing you how much you could save by buying the same item from a different seller. It takes into account the final price of the item (including sales tax and shipping), seller rating, delivery time, and Prime status , so you can still get Prime deals. Here is the link to add it to Firefox. LINK and Chrome LINK.
Honey brings the best final prices to the forefront after automatically comparing every top-rated seller in the Amazon marketplace.
It also lets you know if you can save money just by waiting a couple of days for delivery. Quick shipping is awesome, but so is having options, especially if those options save you money.
Shop on Amazon as usual. If Honey finds a better deal, a little tag will appear showing you how much you could save by buying the same item from a different seller. It takes into account the final price of the item (including sales tax and shipping), seller rating, delivery time, and Prime status , so you can still get Prime deals. Here is the link to add it to Firefox. LINK and Chrome LINK.
Dec 22, 2017
Happy Friday
It is not possible
to have too much happiness.
Grab all you can, wherever you can, especially on a Happy Friday!
Grab all you can, wherever you can, especially on a Happy Friday!
Christmas Carol Origins
Phillip Brooks was an Episcopalian preacher, he
earned a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of Oxford,
and taught at Yale University. During 1865, he rode on horseback
from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he participated in the Church
of the Nativity's five-hour long Christmas Eve celebration.
After returning home he wrote "O
Little Town of Bethlehem." Its first public
performance was held three years later, performed by the
children's choir of his church.
Clement Clark Moore was a professor of Divinity and Literature at a New York Episcopal college when, in 1822, he sat down to write a Christmas poem for his family. Moore never intended for the poem to be published. It was only at his family’s begging that it was published a year later. "The Night Before Christmas", poem became an immediate success. Moore created much of our Christmas mythology. He named the reindeer, was the first to call St. Nicolas an “elf,” the idea of Santa going from rooftop to rooftop, and codified most every concept about Santa entering your home to leave gifts. Much about the current legend of Santa was influenced by his poem.
Clement Clark Moore was a professor of Divinity and Literature at a New York Episcopal college when, in 1822, he sat down to write a Christmas poem for his family. Moore never intended for the poem to be published. It was only at his family’s begging that it was published a year later. "The Night Before Christmas", poem became an immediate success. Moore created much of our Christmas mythology. He named the reindeer, was the first to call St. Nicolas an “elf,” the idea of Santa going from rooftop to rooftop, and codified most every concept about Santa entering your home to leave gifts. Much about the current legend of Santa was influenced by his poem.
Christmas Banned
Christmas was banned in England
between about 1644 and 1660 by Oliver Cromwell, the Lord
Protector of England. Oliver Cromwell, along with Puritan
members of parliament, believed the merrymaking and festivities
observed during Christmastime were acts of sin and insults to
God. Celebrating Christmas became a punishable offense, and
consumption of Christmas foods was forbidden. The ban in England remained in place for
almost 20 years, during which people secretly celebrated
Christmas. When the British monarchy returned to power in
1660, it overruled all laws passed since 1642, and lifting the
ban on Christmas.
Christmas was, until recent times a purely religious festival and New Year was and still is the main holiday for Scots. Christmas was not traditionally celebrated in Scotland, because it was banned for nearly 400 years until the 1950's. Christmas was not even a public holiday until 1958. Hogmanay was the real traditional celebration. LINK
Similar laws were passed in Puritan colonies in America. Christmas was banned in Boston and Plymouth Colony from 1659 to 1681. In 1659 the Puritan General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it a criminal offense to publicly celebrate Christmas and declared that “whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way” was subject to a 5-shilling fine. In New England, Christmas did not become a legal holiday until 1856.
Although outlawed in public, the celebration of Christmas endured in private homes, particularly away from the Puritans in Boston. December 25 was declared a US federal holiday in the United States in 1870.
Christmas was, until recent times a purely religious festival and New Year was and still is the main holiday for Scots. Christmas was not traditionally celebrated in Scotland, because it was banned for nearly 400 years until the 1950's. Christmas was not even a public holiday until 1958. Hogmanay was the real traditional celebration. LINK
Similar laws were passed in Puritan colonies in America. Christmas was banned in Boston and Plymouth Colony from 1659 to 1681. In 1659 the Puritan General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it a criminal offense to publicly celebrate Christmas and declared that “whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way” was subject to a 5-shilling fine. In New England, Christmas did not become a legal holiday until 1856.
Although outlawed in public, the celebration of Christmas endured in private homes, particularly away from the Puritans in Boston. December 25 was declared a US federal holiday in the United States in 1870.
Silver Bells
The song Silver Bells was originally titled Tinkle Bells, and
first appeared in “The Lemon Drop Kid,” a 1951 film starring
Bob Hope.
The co-composer Ray Evans said, “We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay, his partner went home and his wife said, ‘Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?’” Referring to the fact that it is another word for urination often used with children. If that happened today, they would put him in jail, ban the song, delete any reference to it on Google, and Congress would vote to expunge the word from all dictionaries.
The co-composer Ray Evans said, “We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay, his partner went home and his wife said, ‘Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?’” Referring to the fact that it is another word for urination often used with children. If that happened today, they would put him in jail, ban the song, delete any reference to it on Google, and Congress would vote to expunge the word from all dictionaries.
Alternate Reindeer Names
Dunder is variously
spelled Donder and Donner. Blixem is variously spelled Blixen
and Blitzen. The
names Dunder and Blixem derive from Dutch words for
thunder and lightning, respectively.
Finally More Sun
On a brighter note, yesterday we celebrated the Winter Solstice Thursday, December 21, 2017 at 10:27 am in Dallas. Beginning today, Dec 22 we begin to gain more sunlight, 1 extra second to be exact. Tomorrow we get 3 more seconds and each day after that more seconds of sunlight.
At risk of starting a Twitter frenzy, THE END IS NEAR. Winter officially began yesterday, so we are now counting down to the end of winter. It will get colder before it gets warmer, but we get to enjoy more sunlight each day and that is a good thing.
By the end of December, we will be enjoying 10 hours and 2 minutes of sunshine. Yea! I can feel the seasonal stress disorder slipping away already. Now I understand why Christmas and New Year's are such festive occasions, more sunshine.
At risk of starting a Twitter frenzy, THE END IS NEAR. Winter officially began yesterday, so we are now counting down to the end of winter. It will get colder before it gets warmer, but we get to enjoy more sunlight each day and that is a good thing.
By the end of December, we will be enjoying 10 hours and 2 minutes of sunshine. Yea! I can feel the seasonal stress disorder slipping away already. Now I understand why Christmas and New Year's are such festive occasions, more sunshine.
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